Chapter Twenty-Two
The weather was sunny and pleasant the past two days, but this morning when I woke up, it was gloomy and it looked like a heavy rain was about to come.
Zhou Wushi didn't even let Mu Jin eat breakfast, and was eager to kick him out of the house.
Zhou Lin hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, and whispered, "Mother, I discussed it with A-Jin last night. You don't get along with him, and I can't separate from him. In that case, let's just separate the family."
"What did you say?! Separate the family?! How could I have given birth to such an unfilial son!"
Zhou Wushi stopped trying to catch the hibiscus and instead slapped Zhou Lin several times.
Dividing the family property is definitely out of the question. If Zhou Lin were to leave, who would do all the chores at home?
Zhou Laosan's face also darkened. "Eldest brother, don't be foolish! Divorce Mujin, and your mother and I will find you a better one another day."
The scene was chaotic, and a clear handprint quickly appeared on Zhou Lin's wheat-colored face.
“Mother, even if we separate the family, A-Jin and I will still be filial to you and Father. You said A-Jin is bad luck for you. Separating is better for you.”
While being beaten, Zhou Lin hurriedly explained that he did not want to be unfilial to his parents.
Exhausted from hitting her, Zhou Wu paused to catch her breath and said, "Dividing the family property? Don't even think about it!"
Mu Jin tugged at Zhou Lin, whose face looked rather pale. The bowl of rice porridge he had eaten yesterday hadn't been filling at all, and he was feeling quite weak.
“Father and Mother, if you divide this family, I will explain yesterday’s events to the villagers myself, so as not to affect my fourth brother’s career in the slightest. But if you insist on A-Lin divorcing me, leaving me with the reputation of being abandoned, I will have no choice but to go to the teacher in town to speak to him. This mother-in-law took my husband’s dowry and is now so angry that she wants her son to divorce him. The teacher is well-read and should be a reasonable person. I must ask him to uphold justice for me.”
"You...you..."
Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan were so angry that they couldn't speak. They were worried about Zhou Qiang and dared not make any more rash moves.
Mu Jin leaned against Zhou Lin and said softly, "I know you don't like Si'er, Mother. This time when we separate the family, I'll take Si'er with me."
Zhou Wu was furious. Perhaps she had rested enough and had regained some strength, so she raised her hand to hit him again.
“Mother, don’t worry. Si’er will come with me and A-Lin. Although A-Lin, as the eldest brother, will arrange the engagement, the betrothal money will still be kept by you and Father. As for the initial five taels of betrothal money, and the three taels that were supposed to be given, Si’er will not take them. She will consider it as a way to show her filial piety to you and Father.”
Zhou Si nodded in agreement. He was genuinely afraid that Zhou Wushi would get so angry that she wouldn't care whether he was missing an arm or a leg, or even if he was a widower, as long as she gave her money, she could marry him off.
Zhou Qiang was biting into a scallion pancake when he heard Mu Jin say she was going to cause trouble at the teacher's place, and he became a little anxious.
If things really escalate, no matter how Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan explain themselves, he will certainly lose face in front of his teacher and classmates.
"Mother, if my eldest brother wants to separate the family, then let him. Even if we separate, we're still family, aren't we? There's no difference."
Zhou Qiang was only fifteen years old after the New Year, still young, and had been pampered by Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan over the years, so he didn't think things through too deeply.
Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan had many more thoughts. After much deliberation, they realized that Mujin was determined to cause trouble at the town's teacher's place if they didn't separate the family.
With Zhou Qiang set to take the field in just over a month, nothing can go wrong.
"Hmph, if that's the case, then let's split up. But eldest brother, you need to think this through. Once we split up, you and we will be two separate families. If you end up with such a brother, and our youngest son passes the imperial examinations, you won't get any credit. Don't regret it later."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. As long as Fourth Brother is doing well, whether my eldest brother and I benefit from it or not is nothing."
Zhou Laosan said with a stern face, "Erming, go and invite your grandfather and great-grandfather over. We'll divide the family property today."
According to custom, the family doesn't separate while the parents are alive. However, since Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan's parents want to separate the family, the elders of the Zhou family won't say anything about it.
Grandpa Zhou is over seventy years old, but he is still sharp-minded, has clear eyes and a healthy body.
When he heard Zhou Laosan say that he would not share the land with Zhou Lin, and that Zhou Lin would have to send him five qian of silver every month, he slammed his withered hand on the table.
The aged voice carried a hint of elder authority as it said in a deep voice, "Third brother, this is not how you do things. You're not only not distributing the land, but you're also demanding five coins of silver. Are you trying to drive Lin and his men to their doom?"
Zhou Laosan lowered his head, biting his lip, refusing to give Zhou Lin and his group even a single piece of land.
Zhou Wushi chimed in, "Uncle, it's not that we're unwilling to give, but there's nothing we can do about it. My youngest son is studying and can't do without money. The young couple are still young and capable. In these peaceful times, even if they work hard, they can definitely make a living."
"What about the money? Not a single coin?" Grandfather Zhou asked in a deep voice.
“Alas, the youngest child will be off to the market in the spring, where will we get any extra money?” Zhou Wushi wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes. “Uncle, we are poor, there’s really nothing we can do.”
Mu Qing stood aside. He was already unhappy because of the division of the family property between Zhou and Lin, but seeing that they couldn't take a single penny, his mood immediately improved.
Zhou Lin stood helplessly beside his great-grandfather. Seeing Zhou Laosan and Zhou Wushi like this, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't upset.
Because of Zhou Qiang's status as a scholar, Zhou's grandfather and the other elders who came did not speak up to fight for anything for Zhou Lin.
Mu Jin said gently, “Father and Mother, A-Lin and I feel sorry for you, as it is not easy to support a scholar. We don’t want the land, money, or even the livestock and poultry in the yard. There’s just one thing: everyone knows how hard it is for farmers without land. Although it is A-Lin and I to support the elderly, Father and Mother are currently in good health and do not need the money for support for the time being. After Father and Mother turn fifty, A-Lin and I will send two qian of silver every month, which is much more than other families in the village. Grandfather, Grandfather, what do you think?”
Regardless, Zhou Wushi owes Zhou Lin a debt of gratitude, and Mu Jin doesn't mind giving them some money to support them when they get old.
Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan are just over forty years old now. Mujin believes that in ten years or so, she can make a living and provide the two qian of silver a month.
Grandpa Zhou looked at Mu Jin with a disappointed expression. He had met Mu Jin years ago and liked this clever young man at first sight. How could he have become so foolish now?
“You’re too young. You don’t have any land in the village. How will you make a living? No, no.”
Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan were reluctant to agree to the offer that they would only receive money when they turned fifty, but seeing the way Zhou's eldest grandfather was acting, they were certain that some land would be allocated to Zhou Lin and the others.
He nodded hurriedly, "Okay, it's settled then."
Grandfather Zhou wanted to say something more, but since he wasn't Zhou Laosan's biological father, his words were seen as meddling too much by outsiders.
Mu Jin quickly said, "Grandpa, it's alright. A Lin and I are able-bodied and won't go hungry."
As for the house, with the Zhou family's eldest grandson about to be born, Zhou Lin and his family naturally wouldn't get a share.
Zhou Laosan assigned them to the thatched hut at the foot of the mountain that the Zhou family had been given when they first settled in Mujia Village.
Although the land was large, it was close to the foot of the mountain. Apart from the family of the wood hunter in the village, few other families settled in that area for fear of wild animals coming down from the mountain.
When the Zhou family had saved enough money, they moved into the village. Now, it takes about 15 minutes to walk from the foot of the mountain to their home.
Grandfather Zhou sighed repeatedly, and Zhou Laosan called Zhou Qiang over to write the family division agreement.
Mu Jin looked at it carefully, and together with Zhou Lin, Zhou Wu Shi, and Zhou Lao San, she pressed her handprint.
When Zhou's great-grandfather and grandfather returned home with their canes, Zhou Wu urged them to move out immediately, finding it annoying to even glance at them.
As it gets darker, you have to turn on the lights inside the house to see things clearly during the day.
Fearing that things would be delayed, Zhou Lin hurriedly went to Mu Sheng to borrow an oxcart.
Mu Sheng and Mu Nianjun also came along. They were happy for Zhou Lin and Mu Jin when they saw that they had separated their families.
But when I heard that they didn't get anything, I couldn't help but feel angry.
Mu Jin comforted him, "Brother Nianjun, we can save up these things slowly in the future. I'm already very happy that we can separate the family."
Although Mu Nianjun knew this was the truth, the thought of Mu Jin's life after the family split still made him feel uneasy.
Zhou Lin and Mu Sheng worked quickly, and in no time they had loaded the few items onto the oxcart.
After Zhou Si finished packing, he got on the oxcart.
The sky grew increasingly gloomy, and Madam Zhou Wu said to Mu Jin, who was about to leave, "Remember what you said!"
The sound of hooves rose, and the Zhou family's house grew farther and farther away until it disappeared from sight.
"Heavens, how can anyone live in this house? It's about to rain heavily. Jin'er, you should stay at my house for now."
Looking at the overgrown yard and the dilapidated house, Mu Nianjun pulled Mu Jin along, insisting that she go home with him first.
The Zhou family's old courtyard has quite a few houses, after all, it was home to a large Zhou family back then.
But the house had been uninhabited for a long time, and the corners were covered with cobwebs. If it wasn't cleaned up for a couple of days, it really wouldn't look habitable.
Mu Jin didn't want to trouble Mu Nianjun, whose family was large. She was afraid that if she went to bother him, Nianjun would have a hard time in his husband's family.
“Brother Nianjun, it’s still early. Let’s pack up and stay here. It looks like it’s about to rain. You and Brother Musheng should hurry home. You’ve just finished your confinement period, and it’s not good for you to catch a cold.”
Mu Sheng said, "Listen to Jin Ge'er, you go back first, I'll stay here to help, don't worry."
Mu Nianjun thought for a moment, "In that case, I'll help you tidy up the house."
Just as Mu Jin was about to speak, the Mu family, who lived nearby, heard the commotion and Mu Mian came over with Mu Lingqiao and Mu Lingyun.
With many hands making light work, they managed to tidy up two habitable rooms before the rain started.
Mu Sheng drove the oxcart home, bringing back several bundles of new straw. Several men then repaired the roof.
I stopped working only when it looked like it wouldn't be a heavy rain outside but a light rain inside.
With dark clouds looming overhead and it getting late, Mu Sheng took Mu Nianjun home.
Mu Mian stayed a while longer, chatting with Mu Jin for a bit. When the rain started to fall, she put on her straw hat and went home with the brothers Mu Lingyun and Mu Lingqiao.
Not long after Mumian and the others left, the sound of rain grew louder and louder, and a thin stream of rainwater flowed down from the roof.
Hibiscus was in a really good mood today, and she didn't mind the damp and cold weather despite the gloomy rain.
After spreading out the bedding and listening to the rain outside, she smiled slightly and said to Zhou Lin, "You've been busy all morning, take a break."
Zhou Lin's feelings were complicated. Being kicked out of his home on such a bad day would stir up emotions in anyone.
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